Samsung Galaxy S24 rumored to be missing out on one key camera upgrade

Samsung Galaxy S23 screen
The Galaxy S23, with its selfie camera cut-out just visible (Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

We're hoping that the Samsung Galaxy S24 will be with us in the early part of 2024, but the latest rumor to reach our ears suggests that there's one key component that won't be getting an upgrade next year: the selfie camera.

According to GalaxyClub (via SamMobile), Samsung is going to use the same 12MP sensor for the selfie camera on the Galaxy S24 phones as it did for the Galaxy S23 phones, so don't expect huge upgrades in the quality of your selfies.

This applies across every handset too: the Galaxy S23, the Galaxy S23 Plus and the Galaxy S23 Ultra all came fitted with the same 12MP selfie camera up front, and it sounds like it's going to be the same again in 2024.

Interestingly enough, while the Galaxy S22 and the Galaxy S22 Plus came with a 10MP selfie snapper, the Galaxy S22 Ultra was fitted with a 40MP camera on the front. It was the same with the Galaxy 21 range, but Samsung doesn't seem set to return to that approach.

No under-display camera yet

The leak also suggests that we can put the idea of an under-display camera for the Galaxy S series to bed for another year. Samsung has used the technology on its foldables – most lately the Galaxy Z Fold 4 – but not on its standard flagships to date.

At this point, under-display cameras don't yet match the photo and video quality offered by traditional components. As per this source, Samsung is keen to keep the selfie camera cut-out on the front screen as small as possible.

Of course keeping the same selfie camera hardware isn't to say that you won't be able to take better selfies on the Samsung Galaxy S24 – but all the improvements are going to have to be on the software side this time around.

From what we've heard so far, it doesn't sound as though the rear cameras on the Galaxy S24 phones will get much of an upgrade either, but we'll have to wait and see. Before these handsets launch, we've got another Samsung Unpacked 2023 to enjoy.

David Nield
Freelance Contributor

Dave is a freelance tech journalist who has been writing about gadgets, apps and the web for more than two decades. Based out of Stockport, England, on TechRadar you'll find him covering news, features and reviews, particularly for phones, tablets and wearables. Working to ensure our breaking news coverage is the best in the business over weekends, David also has bylines at Gizmodo, T3, PopSci and a few other places besides, as well as being many years editing the likes of PC Explorer and The Hardware Handbook.